My streak has ended! 11 straight posts, not bad. I'm not going to call this month a total failure because of one day. It's just like eating healthy. You can't give up just because one day you decide to go out to eat and have a little more than you should.
All day yesterday, I was thinking, man I gotta get a post up! And every time I just wanted to keep playing video games. The big news is that yesterday, someone bought my old TV! I had Andrea send out an email to her Mom's group and within 24 hours I had 2 interested couples stop over and look at the TV. The 2nd couple ended up buying it and took it home on Sunday.
My downstairs is so... ronery! You can guess what that means, yep I bought a new TV. It's supposed to be here tomorrow between 1-3. They are going to have to come around back which is going to be a bitch thanks to all the snow.
I thought I'd end tonights post with a cute picture of Megan. But blogger is being a bitch and won't accept my picture uploads. I'll have to post it tomorrow.
Monday, March 13, 2006
Saturday, March 11, 2006
46 degrees
It's getting late but I wanted to get a post up today, per my one post a day this month. Yesterday I went to a specialty running store that was recommended to me. I picked out a new pair of running shoes and then hit up Target for some running pants. Today was my first outdoor run, and the weather was pointing to some bad rain. My buddy who I was planning on running with called me and we both agreed we should head out early to beat the rain. So at 10am we started, it was 46 degrees and sorta windy out.
I'd say it was a great first outside run. The shoes were awesome, no pinching, firm fit. I did just over 3 miles and felt like I could probably do a little more. I'm glad I stuck to my plan though, because after I got home and rested for a few hours, I realized that I was sore in a few new places that I had never felt before when running on a treadmill. Thankfully, nothing in the knees or feet areas, so I think I'll be good to go in the coming weeks.
I'd say it was a great first outside run. The shoes were awesome, no pinching, firm fit. I did just over 3 miles and felt like I could probably do a little more. I'm glad I stuck to my plan though, because after I got home and rested for a few hours, I realized that I was sore in a few new places that I had never felt before when running on a treadmill. Thankfully, nothing in the knees or feet areas, so I think I'll be good to go in the coming weeks.
Friday, March 10, 2006
Special Guest Blogger
I want to thank Scooter for his recent comment, and for all the emails I got about my recent post about Friendship. I'm not gonna lie, this week has been pretty tough. At work, at home, I just can't seem to get into a good "comfort" zone with things. I think what happened at work is that I more or less started a new job 2 weeks ago and I wasn't quite prepared for that. You get used to work after a year and big change all at once is tough.
Anyway, before I get ahead of myself, I'd like to introduce tonights guest poster. This is a message about friendship, however it is much more positive then my recent thoughts. I'd like to post this because I think it's worth reading, and not just for me. So without further ado, please enjoy tonights special guest blogger:
Anyway, before I get ahead of myself, I'd like to introduce tonights guest poster. This is a message about friendship, however it is much more positive then my recent thoughts. I'd like to post this because I think it's worth reading, and not just for me. So without further ado, please enjoy tonights special guest blogger:
I certainly don't think your definition of what a "friend" is or was in the past is "wrong" as you said. However, I think as we grow older our relationships with everyone in our lives is going to change in different ways. Part of it is that each of us takes our own path while our friends take their own path. Many times they intersect or run parallel (which may be why we have these particular friends in the first place). But as we continue down our paths, they are bound to take different turns and for one reason or another we may find ourselves with fewer opportunities to spend the same amount of time with our friends as we may have grown accustomed to. Part of the definition of "becoming an adult" or "maturing" is that we take on more and more personal responsibilities and obligations. You have a wife, a baby and, as it seems from today's blog post, many more responsibilities at your job/career. This leaves less time, as it should, for me (for instance) or for RPGs or everything else you had time for while you were 22 and just out of college. That doesn't belittle our friendship, it is simply the way life progresses.
Regarding your current definition of a friend as "a random collection of people from your past that you see every few weeks or months for some idle chit-chat", I have to disagree. As I was trying to allude to above, I don't think the amount of time between visits is necessarily important in defining who your friends are. For me, a friendship means someone who you have a mutual and genuine concern about on a personal level (as opposed to the abstract "everyone is entitled to a good education" i.e. a good social conscience). As far as what you talk about in the times that you do get the chance to get together... I think because of all of the other stresses and pressures in our lives, we many times simply want to relax and try to feel comfortable again when we finally do have the chance to reminisce with someone from our past. But that also will depend on each particular relationship that you cultivate with each individual friend. I would be incredibly happy to discuss with you who the Vikings are going to select in the first round of the draft this year, but I would be even more satisfied to debate about why we should or should not be in Iraq or why South Dakota should or should not be allowed to pass a law banning certain abortion practices.
One thing I've become keenly aware of is that here in Minnesota especially, people tend to shy away from any controversial topic in order to appear polite even at the expense of becoming or appearing boring (which is what I am assuming you are trying to get at when you talk about idle chit chat). I think this last point is where each of us becomes responsible for working hard to maintain the friendships that we want to keep. As we grow up or develop alongside our friends, we should, if they truly are our friends and we do have an unconditional interest in them, know what it is that interests them and what is the best way to interact with them on the occasions that we are able to spend whatever time is available with them. Part of this time, each and every time, we will be learning how the other has grown, matured, changed, etc. etc. since the last time we talked. To me, it is exciting to see.
Thursday, March 09, 2006
The Snowball Effect
Sorta like the butterfly effect, only better. How do a bunch of little things always have to eventually become one gigantic feeling of stress? Work really has me freaked out at the moment. Normally I would be looking forward to a Friday but instead I am dreading it. What issue will come up next that I can't handle? How many times will I have to go to other people for help and guidance?
I let the stress get to me today. I punched my cube wall in anger/frustration. Meanwhile my coworkers are telling me, "Shawn, that's not your problem. It's not your job to answer that." I'm not used to limiting myself like that. If there's a problem and someone asks me what it is, I'm going to help. I'm not very good at passing the buck, or telling someone "Sorry, that's not my job."
I need to let it all go... I need to tell myself, it's just work. But I can't, not while I'm there. Sure I can get home and forget about it for awhile, but then there it is again every day staring me in the eye. And now, looks like it's even going to be Fridays.
I let the stress get to me today. I punched my cube wall in anger/frustration. Meanwhile my coworkers are telling me, "Shawn, that's not your problem. It's not your job to answer that." I'm not used to limiting myself like that. If there's a problem and someone asks me what it is, I'm going to help. I'm not very good at passing the buck, or telling someone "Sorry, that's not my job."
I need to let it all go... I need to tell myself, it's just work. But I can't, not while I'm there. Sure I can get home and forget about it for awhile, but then there it is again every day staring me in the eye. And now, looks like it's even going to be Fridays.
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
Hump day break
Think I'm gonna take tonight off my blog posting. Can't think of anything interesting to post, and I'm busy taking care of Megan tonight. Andrea just headed out to a 7pm meeting, so it's just me and the Meganator tonight. Lots of fun things planned for this weekend though.
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
Roleplaying Update
I haven't mentioned yet, but my old roleplaying group has finally started up again recently. We made GURPS characters a few weeks back. The plan was to play every 3 weeks, but now it doesn't look like that's going to happen. I'm pretty bummed out about that, for some reason I get really excited about it and then it always fizzles out. From my own attempts at starting a group to the other group I am a part of. Roleplaying every 4-5 weeks doesn't quite satisfy my gaming addictions. I NEED MY FIX MORE OFTEN THEN THAT. I even went out and bought a GURPS book just so I could have my own copy to memorize in between sessions. I hate not knowing the rules of a given gaming system, I think I'm the kind of player that GM's hate because I like to be able to quote any given rule for a situation (especially if that rule help something in my favor). Anyway, if your still reading by now, impressive. This was one of my best attempts to post about something no one understands or has a clue what I'm talking about. So now I can sneak in something totally random.
I been thinking a lot recently about friendships. I do this from time to time, I think back on the past friendships I've had and compare them to the friendships I have now. I try to define what it means to be a "Friend". What I can't seem to decide on, is if my past definition of friend was wrong or if the definition of a "Friend" changes as we get older. Are friends really just a random collection of people from your past that you see every few weeks or months for some idle chit-chat?
I guess what I miss the most, is the way that I used to be able to just sit down and talk with my "friends" about things more interesting then work, the weather, recent movies, or current events. Is it because we all become so wrapped up in our own lives that we don't have the time we used to? Or is it something even worse, do we lose the ability to talk about those things at all?
I been thinking a lot recently about friendships. I do this from time to time, I think back on the past friendships I've had and compare them to the friendships I have now. I try to define what it means to be a "Friend". What I can't seem to decide on, is if my past definition of friend was wrong or if the definition of a "Friend" changes as we get older. Are friends really just a random collection of people from your past that you see every few weeks or months for some idle chit-chat?
I guess what I miss the most, is the way that I used to be able to just sit down and talk with my "friends" about things more interesting then work, the weather, recent movies, or current events. Is it because we all become so wrapped up in our own lives that we don't have the time we used to? Or is it something even worse, do we lose the ability to talk about those things at all?
Monday, March 06, 2006
Super Suppers
I'm still trying to come up with more ideas on what to post. Nothing too exciting happening today. Last night was a bit rough, Megan had a very fussy period. It stressed out her parents, but we survived.
I think I want to give my blog a new look, but I'm not sure how. Anyone have any ideas? I'm open to suggestions... Post any ideas!
So Andrea and I are trying something new. It's called Super Suppers. Should be interesting to see how much food you really get (and how much freezer space you need!). The food looks to be healthy enough, it's just depends on the size of the portions I guess. I will report more on how they are later in the week.
I've added a new link to my blog roll. I don't add links often unless I really think they are worth checking out. This one is a new blog, but I have a feeling it has great potential. I know the poster is 100% more witty and insightful then me, so go check it out, in case you care...
I think I want to give my blog a new look, but I'm not sure how. Anyone have any ideas? I'm open to suggestions... Post any ideas!
So Andrea and I are trying something new. It's called Super Suppers. Should be interesting to see how much food you really get (and how much freezer space you need!). The food looks to be healthy enough, it's just depends on the size of the portions I guess. I will report more on how they are later in the week.
I've added a new link to my blog roll. I don't add links often unless I really think they are worth checking out. This one is a new blog, but I have a feeling it has great potential. I know the poster is 100% more witty and insightful then me, so go check it out, in case you care...
Sunday, March 05, 2006
Rule of 4
I got "tagged" by email today. I thought, instead of emailing back I would just post the response on my blog. Reason for this is that, I would never get blog tagged, so I figured what the hell! So here it goes:
Four jobs you have had in your life:
1. Software Engineer
2. Computer Operator
3. Shipping and receiving (aka, stock boy?)
4. Ummm guess I've only ever had 3 job titles in my life.
Four movies you would watch over and over:
1. Fight Club
2. Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
3. Star Wars (any)
4. Lord of the Rings (any)
Four places you have lived:
1. Minneapolis, MN
2. Apple Valley, MN
3. Duluth, MN
4. Boise, ID
Four TV (or cable) shows you like to watch:
1. Firefly , aka Serenity (bring it back damnit!)
2. My Name is Earl
3. X-Play
4. The Daily Show
Four places you have been on vacation: (do weekend Vacations count?)
1. Las Vegas, NV
2. Black Hills, SD
3. Daytona Beach, FL
4. Lake Tahoe, NV
Four websites I visit often:
1. blogger.com (go figure)
2. hotmail.com
3. imdb.com
4. google.com
Four of my favorite foods:
1. pizza
2. chicken fajitas
3. chicken ceasar wraps
4. cross-cut fries with seasoned sour cream!
Four places I would rather be right now:
1. watching Ultraviolet
2. at brunch with my family
3. enjoying some video games
4. the gym
Four people I am tagging that I think will respond.....
Going to skip this part, since I don't know too many bloggers that I'd tag. But if your reading this, and you want to be tagged, consider yourself tagged by me!
Four jobs you have had in your life:
1. Software Engineer
2. Computer Operator
3. Shipping and receiving (aka, stock boy?)
4. Ummm guess I've only ever had 3 job titles in my life.
Four movies you would watch over and over:
1. Fight Club
2. Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
3. Star Wars (any)
4. Lord of the Rings (any)
Four places you have lived:
1. Minneapolis, MN
2. Apple Valley, MN
3. Duluth, MN
4. Boise, ID
Four TV (or cable) shows you like to watch:
1. Firefly , aka Serenity (bring it back damnit!)
2. My Name is Earl
3. X-Play
4. The Daily Show
Four places you have been on vacation: (do weekend Vacations count?)
1. Las Vegas, NV
2. Black Hills, SD
3. Daytona Beach, FL
4. Lake Tahoe, NV
Four websites I visit often:
1. blogger.com (go figure)
2. hotmail.com
3. imdb.com
4. google.com
Four of my favorite foods:
1. pizza
2. chicken fajitas
3. chicken ceasar wraps
4. cross-cut fries with seasoned sour cream!
Four places I would rather be right now:
1. watching Ultraviolet
2. at brunch with my family
3. enjoying some video games
4. the gym
Four people I am tagging that I think will respond.....
Going to skip this part, since I don't know too many bloggers that I'd tag. But if your reading this, and you want to be tagged, consider yourself tagged by me!
Saturday, March 04, 2006
The Tax Man Cometh
Quick addendum to last nights post - turns out the DVD was one of those that play automatically after a little bit. Honestly, I don't own too many movies that just START from the main menu. Anyway, the humor of the situation was still not lost...
I did end up having a few drinks last night. It's kinda hard not to when you wife says she's going out to grab some Corona and instead comes home with $100 dollars in booze. Maybe her week was harder then mine! But still, even after a few drinks and a night of video games until 1am, I managed to drag myself out of bed (with Andrea's help) early enough to get in a 3.5 mile run this morning at 8am. Felt good, Andrea got a good run in, we were both glad we did it. Next week starts my actual "training" program.
The reason we had to get our exercise in so early today was that we had a 10am appt with the Tax guy! (or woman, as it turns out) After realizing we didn't have all the documents we needed for a solid itemized return, we came home and Andrea headed off for her lunch with a friend and I returned to finish up the taxes.
Now, before I share the results, you have to understand that for the last, oh I don't know, 3 maybe 4 years, I've been paying out the ass every tax season. Anywhere from $800-$1500 dollars every single year. It was getting down right stupid. Even last year, AFTER buying a house we still owed. So this year, with Megan and a FULL year of mortgage payments I figured there was just NO way we should owe.
We went into today hoping for anything positive... any tax return would have been great. Andrea said not to get our hopes up, but I figured we were due at least a grand or something. When the final numbers added up, my jaw hit the floor. 3 grand Fed and 1.5 grand State! HELL YA!!! Can you say, time to upgrade my HDTV finally!?
I did end up having a few drinks last night. It's kinda hard not to when you wife says she's going out to grab some Corona and instead comes home with $100 dollars in booze. Maybe her week was harder then mine! But still, even after a few drinks and a night of video games until 1am, I managed to drag myself out of bed (with Andrea's help) early enough to get in a 3.5 mile run this morning at 8am. Felt good, Andrea got a good run in, we were both glad we did it. Next week starts my actual "training" program.
The reason we had to get our exercise in so early today was that we had a 10am appt with the Tax guy! (or woman, as it turns out) After realizing we didn't have all the documents we needed for a solid itemized return, we came home and Andrea headed off for her lunch with a friend and I returned to finish up the taxes.
Now, before I share the results, you have to understand that for the last, oh I don't know, 3 maybe 4 years, I've been paying out the ass every tax season. Anywhere from $800-$1500 dollars every single year. It was getting down right stupid. Even last year, AFTER buying a house we still owed. So this year, with Megan and a FULL year of mortgage payments I figured there was just NO way we should owe.
We went into today hoping for anything positive... any tax return would have been great. Andrea said not to get our hopes up, but I figured we were due at least a grand or something. When the final numbers added up, my jaw hit the floor. 3 grand Fed and 1.5 grand State! HELL YA!!! Can you say, time to upgrade my HDTV finally!?
Friday, March 03, 2006
The Day that Wasn't
Today was one of those days you just wish never even happened. It started out with me getting up at 4:50am in order to get to work early. My morning started out okay until I was blind sided by a conference call from one of our clients with 5+ people in a meeting. I tried my best to answer their questions but still felt like I just had no clue wtf I was talking about. That culminated into an email I got at 3:30pm that might indicate a problem with something that should have been found weeks ago before it was released. Sigh... As Andrea puts it, will it matter in 5 years? No... But that doesn't make today any easier.
I should look at the positive side. At least today is Friday, I have my entire weekend to look forward too. After this long ass stressful week, all I wanted was to have a bunch of screwdrivers and play some video games. But I can't because I also want to exercise at 8am tomorrow, and that doesn't lend itself well to having drinks tonight. Oh, the hell that I put myself through.
Then just when you think your day is officially crap, I put in a movie as I sat down to blog. I looked over and the DVD remote was on the couch next to Andrea so I told her to start the movie. She refused, and instead gave the remote to Megan. 5 seconds later... the movie started. Talk about washing away the day of crap. My daughter kicks ass!!
I should look at the positive side. At least today is Friday, I have my entire weekend to look forward too. After this long ass stressful week, all I wanted was to have a bunch of screwdrivers and play some video games. But I can't because I also want to exercise at 8am tomorrow, and that doesn't lend itself well to having drinks tonight. Oh, the hell that I put myself through.
Then just when you think your day is officially crap, I put in a movie as I sat down to blog. I looked over and the DVD remote was on the couch next to Andrea so I told her to start the movie. She refused, and instead gave the remote to Megan. 5 seconds later... the movie started. Talk about washing away the day of crap. My daughter kicks ass!!
Thursday, March 02, 2006
Sure Happy It's Thursday
I ran another 5 miles in 55 minutes tonight. The gym was finally somewhat empty for a change. I'm sure the outside temperatures had something to do with it. Fine by me! More people outside, less people I have to fight for a parking spot and locker space. I'm getting some weird pains in odd locations lately. Most recent is a pain in my lower right side, almost like a pulled muscle. But I have no clue what could be pulled. Not to mention my right shoulder problem that has been going on for at least the last 3 weeks. It doesn't hurt or feel sore or anything, but when I lift my arm in JUST the right way, it hurts like HELL. I know - so just don't do that.
I realized that in order to accomplish my goal of posting every day I was going to have to start posting about the one thing I have never posted about: Work. I don't know, I guess I just have this irrational fear of getting fired because of something I posted on my blog. I'm sure we've all read about it happening. Not that anyone at work even knows I have a blog, but I digress...
Recently at work, I got what I like to call, a promotion through attrition. Someone who interviewed me, trained me in, was a mentor and also somewhat of our team lead decided to leave the company. She was going to be a stay at home Mom for her new 10 month old. (first child). I can totally understand her desire to do that, hell that's why Andrea is staying home. Unfortunately for me, they decided I should take on some of her tasks. Thankfully not the team leader tasks. (approving time reports, collecting status reports, etc.) No way did I want to do that... But even so, the other set of tasks they have me doing are stuff that a person with 6+ years of experience with this company was doing. It's not technical type tasks, but things that really required knowledge about the business. Long story short, her last day was Tuesday and I'm already stressed out on Thursday. I know I'll survive and muddle my way through things somehow, but the fear of screwing up is looming over everything I do. Needless to say, it's been hard to get up for work this week.
I realized that in order to accomplish my goal of posting every day I was going to have to start posting about the one thing I have never posted about: Work. I don't know, I guess I just have this irrational fear of getting fired because of something I posted on my blog. I'm sure we've all read about it happening. Not that anyone at work even knows I have a blog, but I digress...
Recently at work, I got what I like to call, a promotion through attrition. Someone who interviewed me, trained me in, was a mentor and also somewhat of our team lead decided to leave the company. She was going to be a stay at home Mom for her new 10 month old. (first child). I can totally understand her desire to do that, hell that's why Andrea is staying home. Unfortunately for me, they decided I should take on some of her tasks. Thankfully not the team leader tasks. (approving time reports, collecting status reports, etc.) No way did I want to do that... But even so, the other set of tasks they have me doing are stuff that a person with 6+ years of experience with this company was doing. It's not technical type tasks, but things that really required knowledge about the business. Long story short, her last day was Tuesday and I'm already stressed out on Thursday. I know I'll survive and muddle my way through things somehow, but the fear of screwing up is looming over everything I do. Needless to say, it's been hard to get up for work this week.
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
Day 1 of the Blog-A-Thon
Today is Andreas birthday. To celebrate we went to a new local restaurant called Copper Bleu. What's funny is how many people I knew that have already checked it out. I won't begin to attempt to review it because I can't. Why? I'm too cheap. I'm normally not a big fan of fancy restaurants. To me, no single meal is worth $70-$100 dollars. Maybe I just don't get it, or maybe I can't appreciate the finer things in life. Don't get me wrong, I know what good food tastes like. In the same way I know what good vodka tastes like. But expensive vodka gets you just as drunk as cheap vodka. Same goes for food.
Regardless, Andrea and I are pretty thrifty so even the "fancy" restaurant prices don't scare us. For 2 dinners and 2 desserts, our check was only $40 dollars. At first I was going to give the waitress a 10% tip because as I said, I'm cheap. But while checking my drivers license for my credit card she commented on how I've lost weight. That was enough to bump her up to 20% tip. Flattery will get you every where.
Regardless, Andrea and I are pretty thrifty so even the "fancy" restaurant prices don't scare us. For 2 dinners and 2 desserts, our check was only $40 dollars. At first I was going to give the waitress a 10% tip because as I said, I'm cheap. But while checking my drivers license for my credit card she commented on how I've lost weight. That was enough to bump her up to 20% tip. Flattery will get you every where.
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
A Whole New World
I finally figured out what has been wrong with my blog for the last few weeks. Actually, I've kinda known all along, I've just been mulling over what I was going to do about it. When I first started my blog, I wrote posts because they were fun. Over time, I started writing posts I thought would be interesting to a wider audience. This worked for awhile, but when all my posts became about only 2 subjects, exercise and Megan, I sort of got burned out on just those subjects!
So what does that mean? I'm going to posting more. In fact, I'm going to make a commitment to posting every day for the month of March. To accomplish this I have to post about the things I know and am interested in. That's what blogs are supposed to be about right? Even if that means they will be uninteresting to anyone else!
So to those that may still read my blog from time to time, you'll be in for a treat of all sorts of random posts. And for those that only come for my Megan updates, there will be some of those too don't worry!
So what does that mean? I'm going to posting more. In fact, I'm going to make a commitment to posting every day for the month of March. To accomplish this I have to post about the things I know and am interested in. That's what blogs are supposed to be about right? Even if that means they will be uninteresting to anyone else!
So to those that may still read my blog from time to time, you'll be in for a treat of all sorts of random posts. And for those that only come for my Megan updates, there will be some of those too don't worry!
Saturday, February 11, 2006
5 in 55
*Blink* 10 days later! Time to post that fitness update I promised but never delivered. After Christmas, I hit the gym hard to bounce back from the month of Dec. I ended up dropping 5 pounds in the first week of Jan. I've kept up a pretty high intensity since then, mainly by adding in running to my workouts recently. I'm still not lifting as much as I could/should - but that will be coming in March.
You see, in March I am going to begin training for my first ever 10k! For the metrically challenged (such as myself), that's 6.2 miles. I'm really excited, it should be a lot of fun and a great way to keep pushing myself. The run that I am doing is called the Get In Gear 10k. To prepare for this I have been running a lot more lately, and in fact today I had one of my best runs ever. I ran 5 miles in 55 minutes! I think that is a pretty good indication that I will be able to do the 6.2 even though I have never run that far before. In addition to running more, I will be using the following 8 week training program leading up to the race.
As for my weight loss, I'm still right on track for the most part. I've noticed a small trend that I end up bouncing around a certain weight for a few weeks and then drop a bunch at once. Then float around again until the next big drop. Tracking all that week to week helps me stay motivated and now that I know, a few weeks of no noticeable weight loss doesn't phase me anymore. I'll post again about my weight once I hit that elusive "Overweight" mark on the BMI scale.
This week Megan turned 4 months old. She already has a first tooth coming in! This may sound early, but it's true. I even tried to get a picture of it as proof, here is the best that I could do:
If you look closely, you can see the little white tip of the tooth.
So far, we aren't sure if it's causing her much discomfort. It didn't help that Friday we had her 4 month check up and they gave her another 3 shots. Other then that she is doing great, super healthy and growing fast. The next challenge? Solid Food. I'm scared!!
You see, in March I am going to begin training for my first ever 10k! For the metrically challenged (such as myself), that's 6.2 miles. I'm really excited, it should be a lot of fun and a great way to keep pushing myself. The run that I am doing is called the Get In Gear 10k. To prepare for this I have been running a lot more lately, and in fact today I had one of my best runs ever. I ran 5 miles in 55 minutes! I think that is a pretty good indication that I will be able to do the 6.2 even though I have never run that far before. In addition to running more, I will be using the following 8 week training program leading up to the race.
As for my weight loss, I'm still right on track for the most part. I've noticed a small trend that I end up bouncing around a certain weight for a few weeks and then drop a bunch at once. Then float around again until the next big drop. Tracking all that week to week helps me stay motivated and now that I know, a few weeks of no noticeable weight loss doesn't phase me anymore. I'll post again about my weight once I hit that elusive "Overweight" mark on the BMI scale.
This week Megan turned 4 months old. She already has a first tooth coming in! This may sound early, but it's true. I even tried to get a picture of it as proof, here is the best that I could do:
If you look closely, you can see the little white tip of the tooth.
So far, we aren't sure if it's causing her much discomfort. It didn't help that Friday we had her 4 month check up and they gave her another 3 shots. Other then that she is doing great, super healthy and growing fast. The next challenge? Solid Food. I'm scared!!
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
The World According to Megan
It's Feb 1st already! Where did January go? I honestly don't even remember it. Is life just going to keep getting faster? It feels like we were just celebrating the new year last week. All of a sudden 1/12th of the year is gone.
Megan is going to be 4 months old next week. Although she is still very much a little baby in the sense that she isn't doing much on her own yet, at the same time it seems like she is grown so much already. Aside from her constant interaction with us, mainly in the way of huge smiles, one of the biggest changes is her vocalization. She is VERY vocal and loves to talk to us, to herself, even empty rooms. Click the link below to hear what Megan has to say about her life so far.
Conversation with Megan
I keep having a recurring dream about Megan, she is older, maybe 1 or 2 years old. She is saying her first words and we are talking. Or she is just starting to walk with my help. I think the reason I have these dreams is because of how excited I am to experience the next phases. Her level of interaction with us is really fun right now, she smiles when we walk into her bedroom. She sits and talks with us while we eat dinner. I spend my weekend mornings playing with her while she does nothing but smile at all the things I do. It's just indescribable how awesome it is. And I can only see it getting better and better as time goes on.
Despite all that, it's funny how the mind works. Some days, I feel like, "No way am I a Dad!" Sometimes I still feel like that 18 year old heading off to the unknowns of college. Maybe it's those same feelings about the unknown that Megan sparks. Some days it feels like, I won't really feel like a Dad until she says actually calls me "Dad".
I know there are other things at work with those feelings. Oddly enough, a lot of it has to do with my fitness and weight loss. I'm still learning who this "new" me is, that has health as such a priority now. It's a lot of change all at once and no matter how fast I try to process it, more change keeps piling up! Perhaps I'll post more about that this weekend. Doubtful, with the super bowl and all.
Here are some closing pictures of Megan. Enjoy!
Another cute shot.
Should give an idea of how long Megan is now. She is growing fast!
Megan really likes the mobile in her crib that my brother and his wife got her for Christmas.
Megan is going to be 4 months old next week. Although she is still very much a little baby in the sense that she isn't doing much on her own yet, at the same time it seems like she is grown so much already. Aside from her constant interaction with us, mainly in the way of huge smiles, one of the biggest changes is her vocalization. She is VERY vocal and loves to talk to us, to herself, even empty rooms. Click the link below to hear what Megan has to say about her life so far.
Conversation with Megan
I keep having a recurring dream about Megan, she is older, maybe 1 or 2 years old. She is saying her first words and we are talking. Or she is just starting to walk with my help. I think the reason I have these dreams is because of how excited I am to experience the next phases. Her level of interaction with us is really fun right now, she smiles when we walk into her bedroom. She sits and talks with us while we eat dinner. I spend my weekend mornings playing with her while she does nothing but smile at all the things I do. It's just indescribable how awesome it is. And I can only see it getting better and better as time goes on.
Despite all that, it's funny how the mind works. Some days, I feel like, "No way am I a Dad!" Sometimes I still feel like that 18 year old heading off to the unknowns of college. Maybe it's those same feelings about the unknown that Megan sparks. Some days it feels like, I won't really feel like a Dad until she says actually calls me "Dad".
I know there are other things at work with those feelings. Oddly enough, a lot of it has to do with my fitness and weight loss. I'm still learning who this "new" me is, that has health as such a priority now. It's a lot of change all at once and no matter how fast I try to process it, more change keeps piling up! Perhaps I'll post more about that this weekend. Doubtful, with the super bowl and all.
Here are some closing pictures of Megan. Enjoy!
Another cute shot.
Should give an idea of how long Megan is now. She is growing fast!
Megan really likes the mobile in her crib that my brother and his wife got her for Christmas.
Saturday, January 28, 2006
Confession
Another dry spell at the ol' blog of Shawn, a.k.a. the blog no one reads unless I tell them to go read it. I'd like to say I've just been to busy with... oh I don't know, something to prevent me from blogging. The truth is, I just haven't been motivated. For some people, blogging is an easy, quick thing. Maybe 30 mins out of the day. For me, it's a long process trying to come up with something to post that can start anywhere from my roaming thoughts on the bus ride to work to some random event that I dwell on for hours of the day. Then of course are my lack of english skills causing me to go over my sentences 2 or 3 times trying to make things as readable as possible. I still probably fall short there.
My confession is that for the last week I've just rather play video games when I come home from work then blog about nothing in particular. I've had interesting stuff to post about - Megan getting her first cold, my brother losing his job, signing up for my first 10k run. But like I said, just haven't had the motivation.
Thankfully my motivation in other areas is high. Workouts are going good, I'm pushing myself to new levels every day. I think I'll dedicate a post this week to my current and future fitness goals. And, if I finally start to feel motivated, I'll post a Megan update this week also. She is almost 4 months old, can you believe it?
I'll leave with some misc pictures from my week of sporting events.
Mom walking out onto the ice in attempt to win a prize of Wild season tickets.
Mom holding up her number, oh darn she didn't win.
Only good part of the 1-6 blowout. The Wild got worked over, so this guy decided to take his frustrations out.
Mom's second place prize.
KG going up for a shot.
Ex-Timberwolves Wally going up for a shot.
Nice half time show!
Megan and her latest favorite toy, the singing bug!
My confession is that for the last week I've just rather play video games when I come home from work then blog about nothing in particular. I've had interesting stuff to post about - Megan getting her first cold, my brother losing his job, signing up for my first 10k run. But like I said, just haven't had the motivation.
Thankfully my motivation in other areas is high. Workouts are going good, I'm pushing myself to new levels every day. I think I'll dedicate a post this week to my current and future fitness goals. And, if I finally start to feel motivated, I'll post a Megan update this week also. She is almost 4 months old, can you believe it?
I'll leave with some misc pictures from my week of sporting events.
Mom walking out onto the ice in attempt to win a prize of Wild season tickets.
Mom holding up her number, oh darn she didn't win.
Only good part of the 1-6 blowout. The Wild got worked over, so this guy decided to take his frustrations out.
Mom's second place prize.
KG going up for a shot.
Ex-Timberwolves Wally going up for a shot.
Nice half time show!
Megan and her latest favorite toy, the singing bug!
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
Generation X at Work
I know it's been over a week since I've posted, but it's been a pretty uneventful week. I'll post some pictures tomorrow from the Wild hockey game. Today I want to post about an article I read about what it is GenX people want out of work. Although the exact dates are debated, this particular article defined a Gen Xer as someone born between 1964 and 1977. Since I fall into that category, I was curious what the article had to say.
According to a survey of 1,200 Gen X employees, the following were the top 3 job characteristics (out of 15):
Okay so onto the second characteristic: Interesting work. Ummmm no shit sherlock. You mean people don't want to sit around staring at computer screens all day? Office Space FTW! (that’s "For the Win" for you non-gamers) I'd never have guessed this one. Too bad "interesting work" is itself an oxymoron. If it were "interesting" and "fun" it wouldn't be work, it would be what I do on my free time. I think the main problem here is that too many Gen Xers look at work as something to be "enjoyed". Sounds great in theory, to bad reality is a bitch huh? If we all got "paid" to do what we enjoyed, I'm pretty sure the economy would collapse in a matter of hours.
Which brings us to the final characteristic, continuous opportunities for learning. I'm so sick of hearing this. So many people around my age, older and younger, go on about how they love to learn. Sure, even I've said it, it works great during interviews. But if you love learning so much, go read a book. Go explore another country. Find a cure for cancer. I'll be the first to admit - I don't enjoy learning in the pure sense of the word. I'm a boring, small minded individual with a narrow view of the world and very little concern about what goes on around me unless it directly effects my family, my friends or me. There I said it. I don't wake up every morning going, "Gee, what don't I know that I can learn today?" And I sure as hell don't expect my employer to provide me with some type of life enriching learning experiences. If I want that, I'll make it happen. I'll DO something that gives me the opportunity to learn. You know, like becoming a Father?
They probably would have been better off calling this a "Biased survey of 1,200 over-educated, over-paid, well off Gen Xers with nothing better to do but dream about a more interesting job." Cause you know somewhere out there is a GenX garbage man, sorry "Sanitation Laborer", who probably doesn’t look forward to work each day because of his "continuous opportunities to learn" about what kind of shit people throw away. Or maybe I'm just too cynical.
According to a survey of 1,200 Gen X employees, the following were the top 3 job characteristics (out of 15):
- Positive relationships with colleagues
- Interesting work
- Continuous opportunities for learning
Okay so onto the second characteristic: Interesting work. Ummmm no shit sherlock. You mean people don't want to sit around staring at computer screens all day? Office Space FTW! (that’s "For the Win" for you non-gamers) I'd never have guessed this one. Too bad "interesting work" is itself an oxymoron. If it were "interesting" and "fun" it wouldn't be work, it would be what I do on my free time. I think the main problem here is that too many Gen Xers look at work as something to be "enjoyed". Sounds great in theory, to bad reality is a bitch huh? If we all got "paid" to do what we enjoyed, I'm pretty sure the economy would collapse in a matter of hours.
Which brings us to the final characteristic, continuous opportunities for learning. I'm so sick of hearing this. So many people around my age, older and younger, go on about how they love to learn. Sure, even I've said it, it works great during interviews. But if you love learning so much, go read a book. Go explore another country. Find a cure for cancer. I'll be the first to admit - I don't enjoy learning in the pure sense of the word. I'm a boring, small minded individual with a narrow view of the world and very little concern about what goes on around me unless it directly effects my family, my friends or me. There I said it. I don't wake up every morning going, "Gee, what don't I know that I can learn today?" And I sure as hell don't expect my employer to provide me with some type of life enriching learning experiences. If I want that, I'll make it happen. I'll DO something that gives me the opportunity to learn. You know, like becoming a Father?
They probably would have been better off calling this a "Biased survey of 1,200 over-educated, over-paid, well off Gen Xers with nothing better to do but dream about a more interesting job." Cause you know somewhere out there is a GenX garbage man, sorry "Sanitation Laborer", who probably doesn’t look forward to work each day because of his "continuous opportunities to learn" about what kind of shit people throw away. Or maybe I'm just too cynical.
Sunday, January 08, 2006
Average Ordinary Post
If you remember, I mentioned I might buy an MP3 player with my Christmas gift cards this year. I did end up buying it, and I'm enjoying it so far. I just got the cheapest one Best Buy had to offer, which was this 512 meg ScanDisk model. Nothing fancy, it plays my music. The main reason I was hesitant to get an MP3 player for working out was the headphones. I hate (and refuse to use) ear jack head phones. The kind that just rest in your ear. That leaves me with over the head, behind the neck, or ear clip on type head phones. So I first tried a pair of ear clip on type from Sony. They sucked, just plain sucked. The sound was crackling the first time I used them and they did not sit in my ears correctly. While working out they would slowly slide out of position. Or worse, sweat would get in between my ear and the ear piece causing my ear to plug up and I couldn't hear anything.
Finally I broke down and decided I HAD to get a new pair of headphones. So off to Best Buy I went, trying to decide if I wanted to try a different style of ear clip ons, or just go with the behind the head ones. In the end, I decided on the behind the head style. Tried them out today and they were AWESOME. They fit really snug and the sound is good. The only thing is how the sponge parts will hold up to constantly being soaking wet. If those wear off quickly, I'll be a bit upset, but oh well.
Saturday afternoon, Andrea and I tried this new restaurant in Apple Valley called Majors Sports Cafe. It just opened last month, replacing some seafood place I had never been to. The place was very similar to Champps only slightly more expensive. We liked it and I'd definitely go back. Andrea had a White Chicken pizza (alfredo sauce with olives and chicken) and I went with a club sandwich. They also have the seasoned cross cut fries which were good. Only problem is they charge .99 cents for the seasoned sour cream!
Not much going on this upcoming week, but the week after I will be going to a bunch of sporting events. On the 16th, I'll be going to a Wild hockey game (first one) and then on the 20th a Timberwolves game. Should be lots of fun, hopefully I can sneak my camera into both events.
Finally I broke down and decided I HAD to get a new pair of headphones. So off to Best Buy I went, trying to decide if I wanted to try a different style of ear clip ons, or just go with the behind the head ones. In the end, I decided on the behind the head style. Tried them out today and they were AWESOME. They fit really snug and the sound is good. The only thing is how the sponge parts will hold up to constantly being soaking wet. If those wear off quickly, I'll be a bit upset, but oh well.
Saturday afternoon, Andrea and I tried this new restaurant in Apple Valley called Majors Sports Cafe. It just opened last month, replacing some seafood place I had never been to. The place was very similar to Champps only slightly more expensive. We liked it and I'd definitely go back. Andrea had a White Chicken pizza (alfredo sauce with olives and chicken) and I went with a club sandwich. They also have the seasoned cross cut fries which were good. Only problem is they charge .99 cents for the seasoned sour cream!
Not much going on this upcoming week, but the week after I will be going to a bunch of sporting events. On the 16th, I'll be going to a Wild hockey game (first one) and then on the 20th a Timberwolves game. Should be lots of fun, hopefully I can sneak my camera into both events.
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
Stupid New Years Resolutions
Talk about ruining my work out. It's cool people want to make changes, but it sucks when everyone wants to do it at the same time. The gyms are SOOOO crowded this week, it's just plain retarded. I'm going to try a little experiment at work out at 6am tomorrow. We will see how that goes. Tonight I broke even more records, with 5.8 miles on the elliptical. Since I felt so good, I jumped on a treadmill for a mile. A 10-minute mile! It wasn't something I could sustain longer then a mile, but I just wanted to try it. So what are my new years resolutions? I don't know. I don't really have any I guess. How about this, I'll resolve to stop posting so much about my weight for awhile.
I was trying to think of other things I could post about - one idea I had was to spend an entire week posting my dreams from the previous night. Sounds weird, I know. What's even more weird is that some nights, I look forward to going to sleep simply to enjoy my dreams, they are that cool. Like when I dream I'm a ninja. Or a wizard flinging fire and ice from my hands, or any number of times I'm a martial arts expert fighting to save the world. (yes, my dreams get that complicated).
Dunno, in the mean time, I'll just post a few Megan pictures. She's growing so fast, and other then the few hours before her night time sleep, she is one super happy baby.
Megan in her cute blue striped outfit.
Megan rocking out with the Air Guitar!
Megan in her Elmo outfit.
I was trying to think of other things I could post about - one idea I had was to spend an entire week posting my dreams from the previous night. Sounds weird, I know. What's even more weird is that some nights, I look forward to going to sleep simply to enjoy my dreams, they are that cool. Like when I dream I'm a ninja. Or a wizard flinging fire and ice from my hands, or any number of times I'm a martial arts expert fighting to save the world. (yes, my dreams get that complicated).
Dunno, in the mean time, I'll just post a few Megan pictures. She's growing so fast, and other then the few hours before her night time sleep, she is one super happy baby.
Megan in her cute blue striped outfit.
Megan rocking out with the Air Guitar!
Megan in her Elmo outfit.
Sunday, January 01, 2006
Just one post
Sometimes all it takes to motivate me is a single post. I bitch about my workout habits and the next two days I break records. Friday I did 5.5 miles on the eliptical. (previous record, about 5.3) Saturday I was able to run for 35 minutes without resting at a 5.5 mph pace, with the last two minutes at 6.5 mph. Ended up doing 4 miles in 46 minutes (4.25 miles in 50 minutes). It was great! I'm getting close to my 10 minute mile goal...
The last couple years, we have tried to have some kind of get together for New Years. These get togethers ranged from me getting so drunk I thought i'd never get invited back, to years I was so sick (from a cold) for new years that I thought I'd die from one drink. Ringing in 2005, I honestly didn't want to have a get together, but before I could prevent it, invitations were sent out. (2 people came over?) This year, I finally enjoyed a new years with just myself and Andrea. And you know what? It was everything I hoped it could be. Do I wish I had lots of more people over? Sure, but that's a topic for a whole nother post...
For tonight, we sent Megan over to her Grandma's. Her Grandma that had a tempature of 102 according to recent reports! Of course, Grandma would never tell us that!! (shame on you!) Oh well, as long as Megan doesn't get sick. (yes Mom, that was us calling at midnight, and yes, we were going to come take Megan from you - we are Crazy Parents)
Welcome to 2006!
The last couple years, we have tried to have some kind of get together for New Years. These get togethers ranged from me getting so drunk I thought i'd never get invited back, to years I was so sick (from a cold) for new years that I thought I'd die from one drink. Ringing in 2005, I honestly didn't want to have a get together, but before I could prevent it, invitations were sent out. (2 people came over?) This year, I finally enjoyed a new years with just myself and Andrea. And you know what? It was everything I hoped it could be. Do I wish I had lots of more people over? Sure, but that's a topic for a whole nother post...
For tonight, we sent Megan over to her Grandma's. Her Grandma that had a tempature of 102 according to recent reports! Of course, Grandma would never tell us that!! (shame on you!) Oh well, as long as Megan doesn't get sick. (yes Mom, that was us calling at midnight, and yes, we were going to come take Megan from you - we are Crazy Parents)
Welcome to 2006!
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